I Don't, But I Do
by mionemobp
Summary: A Marriage Decree has been passed, forcing Hermione to abandon her dreams of a happy ending. But perhaps in the end, she can actually have the happy ending she wishes for.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione Granger. The single girl, with no purpose, stared at herself in the mirror, wondering what had happened to her in the past five years. Life wasn't in her favor at the moment. Then again, it hadn't been in her favor for the last few years.

It seemed that after the War and Graduation, things were finally starting to look up a little bit. Things were going great with Ron, and she had started work in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures – it was her dream job. To help make things better for House Elves, Centaurs, and all of the other magical creatures that she'd come across throughout her life so far. The ones that she felt weren't being treated as equals or fairly.

But you know what they say about things that seem perfect.

"Scratch the surface, and it's all fake," Hermione muttered, hearing her mother's wise words play through her head. She scoffed at herself in the mirror when she realized how true they were.

Her reports on payments and equal rights for house elves had been tossed in the trash as soon as her manager had read the title, and her proposal to give the centaurs their land back in the Forbidden Forest had been laughed at - maybe not out loud in front of her, but she was sure all of the senior members in her department had a right good laugh about it at her expense afterwards.

Then, about two years after she graduated, things took a turn for the worst. It had been late one night, and she and Ron had been curled up together on the couch in Ron's London flat. They were just lying there, talking about the future when suddenly, out of nowhere, they had gotten into the biggest row. Hermione shook her head at it even now. She had no idea where it had come from.

She'd always known that he wanted to get married someday, and she admitted she was excited about it! But never had she expected that it would be so soon after graduating, or that he would have wanted her to give up her job.

"To look after the kids," he'd told her.

Oh how that made her blood boil. He wanted her to become his mother. And as much as she adored Mrs. Weasley, that was never going to happen. Hermione had dreams, she had ambitions, she had a good head on her shoulders. She always had. And those qualities were not going to go to waste by being stuck in a house 24/7. No, that was not something that she was going to do, and he was not going to be her husband if he made her. So, after that row, she walked away from that relationship for good. She didn't leave her apartment other than for work, and to say she was completely miserable was an understatement. And she still was, two years later.

After brushing her teeth meticulously and throwing her toothbrush back into her medicine cabinet above the sink, she closed it and took one last look at herself. She looked a mess – but she didn't particularly care. It was a Sunday. Where was she going to go?

Deciding not to bother with fixing her hair or putting on any makeup, she trudged out of the bathroom and into the hallway. The wooden floor was cold beneath her feet, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she passed by the windows. She hadn't realized up until now that it was raining, but after seeing how heavy it was, how had she not realized it before?

The sky was a dark stormy shade of grey, with shades of green and black mixed through the clouds. The rain was falling so hard, that it sounded like bricks being thrown against the windowpanes. Although the waterfalls falling from the gutters along the roof were making it near impossible to see anything further than a few feet, she did see the lightning that sparked in the sky and heard the thunder rumble round about her.

'A dreary day to match the mood. Perfect,' she thought to herself.

She was so wrapped up in her own pity party, that she didn't notice her owl sitting on the other side of the window. It was hard to hear him pecking the glass over the sound of the rain, but when she saw him she threw down her box of Corn Flakes and hurried to let him in. Poor Apollo was drenched to the bone, his feathers soggy and dripping water. He ruffled his feathers and nicked at her hand, annoyed that she hadn't let him in sooner.

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized, petting his head cautiously.

He gave her one more disgusted look before dropping the item he had clasped in his beak and flying over to the fireplace to dry off. Hermione gaped at the envelope he'd dropped onto the countertop, a million thoughts running through her mind. It was from the Ministry of Magic.

'It must be terribly important for them to send it on a Sunday,' she thought to herself, biting her lip nervously as she turned the envelope over in her hands. Had she done something wrong? Was she fired? Had there been a protest? After a few minutes of staring at it, she reasoned that she was more likely to get fired.

"Oh God," she muttered to herself as she broke the Ministry seal and pulled the letter out. "I really need this job, I really need this pathetic job that makes me totally miserable. Don't fire me."

But what she read was not what she expected.

_Ms. Hermione Granger,_

_Due to the fact that the Wizarding population has been drastically depleated, the Ministry of Magic has decided that the best course of action is to enforce a new law. __Therefore, the Wizengamot has passed Ministerial Decree 2323, which states that any single witch between the age of twenty and thirty is required to marry. __The Ministry has already chosen you a suitor – based on shared interests, similar hobbies and other compatibility data._

_You will be given three months to wed, which someone from the Ministry will have to verify that it has indeed happened. As a further requirement of Ministerial Decree #2323, you and your partner will be required to have intercourse at least once a week, for the first year of your marriage, in which time you will be expected to conceive a child. __Similarities that you and your partner possess include the following:_

_- Your intelligence levels are very similar.__  
__- You had the same grades in school.__  
__- You both took many of the same classes, as such your hobbies are very similar._

_For these reasons, we have chosen to have you paired with:_

**_Bartemius Crouch Junior_**

_Failing to meet the requirements laid down by Ministerial Decree 2323 will result in your wand being stripped from you and snapped, as well as your immediate exile from the Wizarding World._

_Hoping you are well._

_Sincerely,__  
__Martha MacDonald__  
__Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic_

Hermione blinked at the words starting up at her, and re-read it several times before anything started to sink in. She had to get married? Married to someone who she did not love…maybe even someone she didn't know. It was horrid…what was this, the seventeenth century? No, this was now the twenty-first century, goddammit.

"Damn you, Shacklebolt," she growled under her breath. "Why would you do this? Why would you let this pass?"

Well one thing was for sure, if she'd felt awful before – she felt downright miserable now. But rather than sit at home festering and speculating, she stomped over to the fireplace where Apollo was perched on the mantle peice, and grabbed a handful of Floocall Powder.

She'd be damned if she wasn't going to get some answers.

"Shacklebolt's office!" she cried, and gazed intently at the crackling blue and green flames.

Within seconds, the Ministers smiling face appeared in the hearth.

"Hermione, how are you?" he asked in his deep, calming voice. It only caused her to glare at him more.

"How could you allow this to pass?" she shrieked.

"Ah, I see you've received our letter informing you of the new Law," he frowned.

"Law? LAW? Minister this is a bloody death sentence! How could you let them steamroll you into passing something like this?" she cried incredulously.

Kingsley sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He looked about as happy as she did about this whole business.

"Hermione, the Purebloods in this world are continuing to interbreed, despite the fact that they are no longer discriminating against Muggleborns. Their actions are causing more squibs to be born and as such our population is decreasing. It was already low in the immediate days following the War, but in recent years it's fallen by thirty-six percent, That is a colossal impact on our way of life, and that is why we had to pass this. And don't think that you can escape this by moving countries – everyone has to do this. I had a meeting with the Minister for Magic in Asia this morning and am scheduled for one with the Minister in the United States, North and South America and also Africa. The other Ministers of the world have until the end of the week to comply also," he finished with another sigh before continuing – sounding much more stern than she'd ever heard him before. "Now I'm sorry we had to do this, I truly am. I understand that forcing you to marry someone you're not in love with is far from easy, but we're hoping that you might be able to fall in love with him someday."

She gaped at him, shocked that he was condoning this!

"B-But why not Ron? Or Har – oh nevermind he's married - but what about Draco? He's not a complete arse anymore! And he's smart!"

For the first time since the start of the conversation, the corners of Kingsley's mouth twitched upwards in an amused smile. "You and Ron argue about everything Hermione. You tried a relationship, and it didn't work out at all. We can't risk the prospect of a divorce with in the first month. Also, you know Draco is in a relationship with your friend Ginerva."

"Yeah, I know…wait, how do you know that?"

His eyes sparkled knowingly. "I am the Minister of Magic. It is my job to know."

Hermione sighed. "Well – I can't say I'm thrilled about it, but I suppose if I'm being FORCED into marriage I might as well at least TRY to make it work, even if it is with a total and complete stranger," she frowned.

"Hermione, I know you still see him as a criminal and a Death Eater, but he is innocent. I checked his memories and cleared him myself."

"Can I get his address? So I can visit him, and…well, see for myself if he really has changed? And to make sure he has read his post."

The Minister seemed to ponder this for a minute before nodding and reading out his address to her.

She scribbled it down on a nearby notebook she had lying on the coffee table, and with that they said their goodbyes. As soon as his face disappeared from the fire, she got up and went to change into something that wasn't her pajamas. It looked like she would be leaving after all. She chose a pair of blue jeans and a black button down, before going to her bathroom and looking in the mirror at her reflection again.

She hardly recognized the sorrow in her big brown eyes as her own. Life really wasn't in her favor at the moment. And now with this law coming out, it seemed like life was finally crashing around her.


	2. Chapter 2

On the other side of London, Barty Crouch sat straight up in bed. He had always been good at knowing when something new was happening…something bad. And this was definitely not something good. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that something in his life was going to change, and so he got up to face whatever was coming his way.

The floor felt cold under his feet, so he pulled on some slippers, so as to not have to touch the ground on his way to the bathroom. However, he still felt the cold touch every part of him, just like he always had, ever since he had been released from Azkaban. He was hoping to feel a little warmer at some point in his life, but it didn't seem possible.

Reaching the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom, he looked in the mirror. The initial shock of how different he looked had worn off, but it was still haunting, as he still had that look in his eye. The look that sent a chill down his cheeks every time he saw it, even six years after being released. The rest of his face looked somewhat better than it did when he had been released.

He could remember it like it was yesterday. His face had been extremely waxy and oily, and his cheeks had been hollowed out, so it looked like his face was stretched around a skull. His teeth had been so disgusting that he refused to smile with his teeth anymore. It was hard to talk at a normal level, since he had always screamed in Azkaban, and he was used to that.

Grasping the sink, Barty gasped, trying not to think about it, but it was hard not to. It was times like this that he wished he could just take a potion to forget about it. Unfortunately, there was none in existence, so the only way he could try to forget was to down a bottle of firewhiskey. But at this present moment he couldn't, because he had to figure out what that bad feeling was. Not the one lingering from the past, but the one that was making him think of his future.

He left the bathroom, desperate to get away from his reflection, and walked down the hall, and down the stairs to the kitchen. Winky, who he had found after his release, was in the kitchen, and as soon as he sat down, he smiled at her. She put a plate of food right in front of him…a plate of bacon, eggs, and French Toast. It had been his favorite when he was younger, and he was amazed she still remembered.

"Thank you, Winky."

"You is welcome, Master Barty."

She brought the post, which she had gotten from his owl, Erebos. There was the Daily Prophet, with a large **MINISTERIAL DECREE 2323 PASSED**. He decided to read that later, before opening the only letter that had come along with it. It had the Ministry of Magic seal on it. He knew that it was regarding Ministerial Decree 2323, whatever that was. And he had a feeling that it affected him in some way.

"Well, might as well get it over with."

He broke the seal and opened the letter, and read,

_Mr. Bartemius Crouch,_

_Due to the fact that the Wizarding population has been drastically depleated, the Ministry of Magic has decided that the best course of action is to enforce a new law. Therefore, the Wizengamot has passed Ministerial Decree 2323, which states that any single witch between the age of twenty and thirty is required to marry.__The Ministry has already chosen you to be a suitor for one of these witches – based on shared interests, similar hobbies and other compatibility data.__You will be given three months to wed, which someone from the Ministry will have to verify that it has indeed happened. _

_As a further requirement of Ministerial Decree #2323, you and your partner will be required to have intercourse at least once a week, for the first year of your marriage. In which time you will be expected to conceive a child._

_Similarities that you and your partner possess include the following:_

_- Your intelligence levels are very similar.__  
__- You had the same grades in school.__  
__- You both took many of the same classes, as such your hobbies are very similar._

_For these reasons, we have chosen to pair you with:_

_**Hermione Jean Granger**_

_Failing to meet the requirements laid down by Ministerial Decree #2323 will result in your wand being stripped from you and snapped, as well as your immediate exile from the Wizarding World._

_Hoping you are well._

_Sincerely,__  
__Martha MacDonald__  
__Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic_

Barty took a deep breath, before getting up off his chair and starting to pace around the kitchen. He couldn't believe someone was going to make him marry that…_bitch_. The same girl who helped him be thrown into Azkaban. Who made him suffer once more in that hellhole. How could he spend the rest of his life stuck in a miserable marriage with her? This was complete bollocks. Complete and total bollocks.

He flipped the table over in his kitchen. Why were they trying to make his life even more miserable? Wasn't it enough that he was sentenced to Azkaban? Now they wanted this from him as well?

He slumped down and ran his hands through his hair, rocking back and forth. How was he to let a girl, who had absolutely no way in hell of making his life easy, into his life? _Failing to meet the requirements laid down by Ministerial Decree #2323 will result in your wand being stripped from you and snapped, as well as your immediate exile from the Wizarding World. _He knew what that meant. All memories would be erased, and he would have to leave his childhood home and his only true companion behind.

But just as that thought crossed through his mind, the fireplace over in the living room turned green, causing Barty to stand up and look over. A girl who looked no older than twenty-three or twenty-four stepped out, and he took in her appearance. She had a pair of blue pants on, and a black shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ragged ponytail. But it was her face that surprised him. It was an angry face. Barty walked toward her slowly, and immediately she pulled out her wand in defense.

"Oh, that's nice, you come into _my _home and immediately you pull out your wand. Yes, I can see that this will be an amazing life ahead of us."

"You expect that I would just come into a Death Eater's home willingly, with absolutely no defense? You expect that I would be a victim to you? For all I know, you could have imperius'd someone to come up with this idea."

"Yes, of course. This was my grand idea. Force someone to write this law, so that I would end up in a hateful, disgusting marriage with the woman who is the reason I was sent back to Azkaban. I haven't suffered enough misery in my life, so naturally, I wanted more. Is that what you want to hear?"

"You think I want to be trapped in a marriage to a son of a bitch like you? You think I want to fear waking up and finding my husband choking me to death?"

"I might end up doing that before the wedding if you don't shut your mouth!"

"Stop fighting. Winky is ashamed of Master Barty and…Miss Hermione!"

"Winky! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, running over to hug the house elf.

"Master Barty is coming for me after Master Barty is being released."

"Are you being treated well? He isn't treating you like the Malfoys did to Dobby, is he?"

"Oh no! Master Barty is being a good master. Master Barty is good to Winky!"

Hermione's eyebrows quirked up. "You don't need to lie."

"Why do you think she would be lying about how I treat her?" Barty asked. He was hurt, since he had nothing for respect for the elf, as she had raised him.

"Because for an entire year, everything surrounding you was a lie - your identity, your motives, your life, everything. Why am I supposed to think that anything has changed since then?"

"That's right, I forgot you were a pathetic little know-it-all, thinking you know more about people and their circumstances than even they do. Why should I have thought that anything has changed?"

Hermione looked taken aback. She had always been proud of her intelligence. She was almost never wrong about anything, and if she was, then it was because the facts were always given the wrong way, or something was covered up. She turned on her heel and walked to the fireplace and left without a word.

Barty stormed upstairs to his bedroom, breathing in deeply. He couldn't believe he would have to endure a life with her, always yelling at him about how he had been a liar and a Death Eater. He might just poison himself right after the wedding, if one ever actually happened.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Winky was cleaning up the mess in there. She had already gotten rid of the big shards, but she needed to get the smaller ones into a pile before she could get rid of them. She had always done it that way, so she wouldn't have to worry about finding one later in her foot, or in Master Barty's foot.

Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she went over to pick it up. It was the letter from the Ministry. She read it the best she could. She only picked up some stuff here and there, but from what she gathered, Master Barty would have to marry. He would have to marry Miss Hermione. She was shocked, and then happy. Maybe she could learn to make Master Barty happy!

But Hermione's mind was far away from wanting to make Barty happy. She wanted out of that arrangement. So rather than giving it time to think, she walked over to the fireplace, grabbing the powder to Floocall. She and the Minister needed to talk again, so she could find a new suitor, since she was only going to marry Barty when Hell froze over.

"Kingsley!"

"Hermione, nice to see you again," he said, which only made her glare more.

"Kingsley, I need a new suitor. I cannot and will not marry him. I will give up my wand if I have to, but there is no way in hell that I am marrying that man."

"Hermione, you know that if you give up your magic, your memory of the Wizarding World will be wiped. Everything you learned, and everyone you met here will be forgotten. You really want that to happen to you, all for one man?"

"It's not just some man, Kingsley, it's Barty Crouch Junior!"

"And you're Hermione Granger!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"To him, you are the girl who helped send him to Azkaban. You two have to get past each other's views of each other, and dig deeper to see what's underneath. You do need to remember that he was cleared of all charges. By me."

"How can he be innocent? After all that happened in fourth year? He tried to kill Harry. He is the reason Voldemort came back."

"That's not my place. As his future wife, you need to learn that from him. Now…I know that you're going to try and find all loopholes to this, but it won't happen. One was found today, and you will be notified tomorrow. However, I think it's fair you hear it from me." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "You are going to have to move in with him. No getting married and then living on opposite sides of town."

"I have to live with him?"

"Yes."

She glared at him and then ended the call. She couldn't talk to him anymore, so she went to find Apollo. She had to write to Harry, Ron, and Ginny, so that she could vent to them while they helped her move everything to his house. She wrote the same letters to all three of them. _Come to my flat, we need to talk_, before sending them off with Appollo.

As she watched him fly off, she noted that the air outside was looking bleak, just like her future.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since Hermione's fight with her new fiancé.

'Ugh,' she groaned at the thought as she leaned against her kitchen counter and gazed out the window at the bustling city. Seeing the people walk by shops, cars honk at one another, buses come and go, watching people go about their daily lives – it all seemed to distract her from her own. And for a minute she caught herself wishing that her life could be as simple as the young girl hopping on a bus, or the owner of the corner shop down the street chatting with his customers at the door.

But needless to say, nothing really seemed to help distract her. Now it seemed near impossible to get the new marriage law off her mind, especially when news of it was everywhere she turned. Whether it was reading about it on every page in the Daily Prophet, or overhearing bits of gossip from the girls in the staff room at work – she simply couldn't escape it! What was worse though, was that even after having a full week to process the information, it still didn't seem real. Almost as though her brain refused to let the information sink in.

Hermione Granger was being forced to marry. The thought alone to her was cringe-worthy. Not that she minded arranged marriages, she knew it was common practice in many cultures. But it was almost always done by the parents! Not by the Government! And definitely not to someone who you were bound to despise either-

"Hermione where do you want this?" Harry asked, dropping a heavy looking cardboard box onto a nearby counter and running his fingers through his dark tangled hair. That broke Hermione from her thoughts, and she remembered that she was supposed to be in her bedroom packing up her wardrobe.

"Oh – just out in the hallway thanks, I'll urmmm – get it when I'm ready," she said distractedly, not being able to think straight with everything that was going on at the moment.

She'd expected him to leave and head off almost instantly, like he had earlier on, but instead he just stood there, looking at her concernedly.

"What?" she asked frustratedly.

"I'm just worried about you, 'Mione. Are you ok?" he asked concernedly, walking over to lean against the counter next to her.

She wanted to scream no, to tell him that nothing was alright anymore, that her world was falling apart. But she couldn't. Not yet. "Yes, I'm just so stressed," she groaned, leaning into him. She felt more comforted when she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders and his head rest on top of hers.

"I know," he sighed. "I know. I know you guys split up a while back, and you're probably over how much of an arse he was – but if it makes you feel any better, Ron isn't taking this whole thing too great either."

Hermione lifted her head to look up at him, the corners of her mouth threatening to twitch up into a smile. "I'll admit, that does brighten my day a little bit," she teased. "But what's he got to complain about? Surely he got paired up with Luna or someone like that," she rationalized.

"Oh he wishes," Harry chortled. "You'll never guess who it is! He got paired wit-"

"Don't you tell her a fucking thing!" Ron grunted, trudging past the kitchen door carrying a heavy box.

"Oh, so I don't get the pleasure of finding out who the lovely new Mrs. Weasley is going to be?" she jokingly called out to him as he continued on down the hall.

"I don't see any pigs flying around outside do you?" he cried back, before his call was drowned out by a resounding thud. "Oh bloody hell!" was all that was heard from the hallway, followed by what sounded like a string of curses involving a box falling on his foot.

"I'd better get back to helping him," Harry chuckled, and gave his old friend a kiss on the forehead before pushing himself away from the counter. "So when do we find out who this mystery bloke is then? I never thought you'd pack up and leave this place."

Hermione hesitated for a moment before replying. "Once we're done. I just don't want it to be too big of a distraction," she shrugged. "Besides, Merlin knows I don't want Ron to drop my box with my Mothers crystal in it."

Harry shook her head at her. "It's that bad is it?" Hermione could only nod sadly in reply. "Well, if you need to talk about it you know you can always come to me," he offered kindly, backing away towards the door.

She grinned at him, and nodded again. "I do, thanks Harry. I'll catch up with you once I'm finished in my room."

He stopped in the doorway to give her one last smile. "Sounds like a plan, see you in a few minutes then," and with that he left to go back out into the hallway and finish packing up the living room.

Hermione sighed and left the empty kitchen behind her, turning right and heading off down the hallway to her bedroom. She hardly recognized it – all filled with boxes and bubble wrap.

About two days after the fight with the Grouch (as Hermione had taken to calling her soon-to-be Hubby) she'd received a letter by Floo Express from Kingsley, telling her that she was to move in with Crouch the Grouch by the end of that week. As Kingsley had so eloquently put it: "His abode is not only readily prepared for a newly wed couple, but also has the available space and expansive grounds to begin a family."

Now THAT part of the letter had made her almost puke. She'd be damned if she would be spawning any mini Grouch's any time soon. But, as much as she tried to get out of it, Kingsley wasn't letting her escape this one. She had to move, and the thought of leaving her flat killed her. She'd worked so hard on renovating this place once she'd moved in, it was her dream flat! And where was she going now? A Hell-hole in the snobbiest, most richest part of London. In-fact it wasn't even IN London, it was practically in the countryside, way on the other side of the city.

Hermione flopped to the floor, surrounded by piles of boxes. She looked around at everything that was still left to pack up. All that was left now was to wrap up the ornaments along her dressing table and that was it. She walked over to it and began wrapping things up one by one, mulling things over in her head. Just as she was about to finish, she heard another familiar voice from the doorway.

"Wow, I've never seen this place so empty before." Hermione turned to find Ginny gazing around the room, her long flowing Auburn hair pulled up in a high ponytail atop her head. She wore a casual pair of jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt, and like Ron earlier, she carried a heavy box.

"I know, it's odd seeing it like this after living here for so long," Hermione sighed sadly, looking around at all of her packed up things. All of her memories.

"I bet," Ginny frowned, placing the box down and coming over to help her pack up the last ornament. "But look on the bright side," she remarked casually, "You're going to make loads of new memories in your new house! And judging by the fact that you're leaving this gorgeous flat behind, wherever you're going must be some place!"

"Yeah, some place," Hermione replied in a daze.

"I can't wait to come and visit you! Where did you say you're going again?"

Hermione took the ornament from Ginny and walked over to the pile of boxes to place it on top. "I didn't," she answered, and then double-checked there were no other items she'd forgotten to pack up before waving her wand and shrinking everything in the middle of the room to the size of a tea bag.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well alright then, Madame of Mystery, but when do we get to find out? I'm desperate to know whose wedding I'm going to be Maid of Honor at!"

"You may not be so desperate once you find out who it is," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"What's that?"

"Oh nothing," she sighed. "How about we get this stuff boxed up and out into the hallway? I'll make us a cup of tea and we can have a chat then ok?"

Ginny shrugged. "Sounds good to me, need help with anything?" she offered.

Hermione nodded and began levitating three objects at a time into a nearby open box. "If you can take that pile over there, I'll get this lot here. We should be done in no time at this rate."

And sure enough, at about four, Hermione closed the last box and carried it out into the hallway to be levitated down the stairs after their cup of tea. After placing a few weightless charms on each box to lighten the load later on, she disappeared into the kitchen to make them all something to drink while Ginny continued on down the hall to the living room to speak to the boys.

When Hermione emerged from the kitchen ten minutes later, carrying two cups of hot tea and levitating two coffees behind her, she was greeted with the sight of Ron with his head in his hands and Harry and Ginny on either side trying to comfort him.

They were whispering so quietly that Hermione couldn't hear a single word, and figuring that it was best she didn't ask what the problem was, she settled down into the chair across from the three and sipped at her tea.

"So what's new with you three? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," she started off, loving the way the warm tea trickled down her throat and warmed every inch of her. It made her feel all cozy and fuzzy.

However, the tea did not appear to have the same effect on Ron. "Well, if you weren't always working, you would know wouldn't you?" he snapped at her.

"Oh, of course what was I thinking, apologies if I don't run about a joke shop all day," Hermione drawled, rolling her eyes. Ron's ears turned bright red, and just as he opened his mouth to retort, Ginny thankfully stepped in and cut her brother off.

"Don't worry Hermione, we're great. And don't bother about Ron, this new marriage law is just getting under his skin. Mind you, it's not had that big an effect on his behavior. He's usually this much of a grumpy prat."

Everyone laughed at that, including Hermione, who actually struggled to not spit out her tea at how angry Ron got. If steam could come out of his ears, it would. He looked like something out of a cartoon!

"Oh ha, bloody ha," he quipped sarcastically. "Just because you're not being married off to some sour-faced cow."

That caught Hermione's interest, she hadn't even known who Ginny was marrying yet.

"Ginny, that reminds me. Who do you have to marry?"

Ginny's face broke out into the biggest smile, and Hermione saw her transform back into a giddy schoolgirl right before her eyes. "I get to marry Draco," she announced, her eyes glazing over as she dreamed of how the wedding would pan out.

"Oh – right, why did I even ask? I knew that," Hermione muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

Everyone blinked at her.

"How did you know?" Harry asked confusedly, taking another swig of his coffee.

"I called Kingsley after I opened mine. He told me he about Ginny and Draco," Hermione shrugged casually.

"How does he know?"

Hermione turned to Ginny with the same knowing sparkle in her big chocolate eyes as Dumbledore used to have on a daily basis. "He's the Minister of Magic. It's his job to know."

Ginny laughed. "Well I must say that creeps me out a bit. Oh well, I guess that's one person at least that won't pass out when the wedding invites get sent out," she chuckled.

"Speaking of invites," Harry cut in. "Hermione can Astoria and be expecting you to turn up to the Baby Shower next month? She's really missed not seeing you."

Hermione smiled a breath-taking smile at him. "You'd really think I'd miss my God-Son's Baby Shower? Of course I'll be there!"

He smiled back at her, the corners of his eyes wrinkling behind his glasses. "Good to hear, she'll be so happy to hear you can make it – can you believe she's almost 7 months along now? It feels like only yesterday we actually got married!"

"I know, it's spooky how fast the time flies," Hermione commented.

"Yeah, spooky," Harry agreed, drinking his coffee again.

"Do you not find it weird how you and Ginny practically switched partners? I think it's bloody creepy how things have worked out," Ron remarked, to which Harry choked on his coffee and Ginny swatted him over the head.

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded.

"What?" he cried in defense, rubbing at his poor head. "You can't say your mind wasn't blown when you found out either."

Hermione gave him a tired look. "Yes, I'll admit I was…surprised when I found out Ginny was with Draco – but you can hardly say they 'switched' partners Ronald. Draco and Astoria were broken up for a long time."

"Pfft ye, if you can call 8 months a long time," he scoffed.

Hermione frowned. "And besides, of course Harry and Astoria were going to get together at some point – they were both on the same Auror training program at the Ministry! Hell, she saw more of Harry than we did! It was bound to happen sooner or later. You can't fight together and protect each other on a daily basis without building some kind of bond," she reasoned.

"She does have a point," Harry pointed out.

"Still think it's mental," Ron huffed.

"Oh do shut up about it Ron? We all know you hate me being with Draco," Ginny snapped, failing to stifle an eye roll. "So Hermione, NOW will you tell me who your future husband is?" she asked impatiently.

"Ye 'Mione, tell us," Harry prompted.

"Oh no, not yet. I want to see how bad Ron's is first. Maybe then I'll start to feel better."

"Is it really that bad?" Harry asked, a bit shocked at how badly she was taking it all. He'd never expected it to be an easy process, but Hermione was usually never one for complaining.

Hermione just nodded her head sadly.

"Worse than finding out you didn't get an 'E' in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ginny asked concernedly.

Hermione let out a defeated sigh. "Ginny, you remember when you found out you got rejected from the recruitment program at the Puddlemere United Camp?"

Ginny nodded solemnly.

"It's ten times worse than that."

Against her will, a sad kind of whimper escaped Ginny's lips, and Harry looked between the two and shook his head at the looks on their faces.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. And anyway, Ron's isn't so much bad as it is funny!"

Ron glared at his best friend. "How in the name of Merlin's hairy balls can you say this is funny?"

Harry and Ginny shrugged in unison. "Because it is?" Ginny quipped innocently, before dissolving into a fit of giggles and high-fiving Harry behind Ron's back.

Hermione smiled at them, glad that breaking up after the War hadn't ruined Harry and Ginny's friendship.

"So do tell me Ronald, who is the lucky lady?" Hermione smirked, taking another sip of her tea.

Ron now turned to glare intently at her. "Pansy Parkinson," he growled.

Hermione cracked up, snorting on her tea and actually having a bit of it come through her nose. "You've got to be joking?" she spluttered inbetween loud guffaws.

Ron gave her a serious look. "Does it look like I'm joking?" he asked dully.

A round of laughs from the three people around him was his answer.

"W-What are you two supposed to have in common?" Hermione cried, wiping at her eyes and trying to get a hold of herself.

Ron's eyes narrowed and he began imitating Kingsley's voice perfectly. "Apparently we're both highly opinionated, ambitious and "don't have any qualms in speaking our minds"," he mimicked.

"Well they got that right!" Ginny snickered.

Hermione continued to laugh too, until a thought occurred to her and she stopped and gaped at the three of them.

"Are you saying that we're ALL going to be married to Slytherins? The four most famous Gryffindors to come out of our graduating years?"

The three on the couch exchanged looks before Harry broke the confused silence. "Yes…why, who are you marrying?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

Hermione hesitated for a moment, not really sure how to respond and tell them all. In that moment of hesitation, all three began assuming the worst.

"Oh fuck it's not GOYLE is it?"

"Or Crabbe?"

"Oh no it's not Zabini is it?"

Hermione turned to look at Harry. "Actually I wouldn't mind Zabini, at least I know he actually fought on OUR side in the War."

That caused all three of their jaws to hit off the floor. "You're marrying someone who fought on the OTHER SIDE? IS THE MINISTRY ON CRACK OR SOMETHING?" Ron bellowed, jumping up and starting to pace agitatedly.

"Hermione, who is he? You can't go through with it!" Harry insisted, and Hermione noticed he was starting to shake.

Ginny placed a calming hand on Harry's shoulder. "Now guys, just calm down. For all we know, he may not have fought on the Dark side! It could all just be a mistake! One big misunderstanding!"

Hermione shook her head. "Gin, it's not. You know him – we all do. He tried to kill all three of us, you in particular," she nodded towards Harry.

He blinked back at her. "With all due respect Hermione, that's not really narrowing down the list of people."

Hermione sighed, bracing herself for the worst. "Well maybe this will jog your memory. Anyone remember Barty Crouch Junior?" Before Hermione could even blink, the two of them were up off the couch and joining in with Ron's shouting and screaming. They were yelling about how unfair it was that she had to be paired with a Death Eater, who had tried to kill them, as well as her.

"It's because of that doo-lally old bastard landing Harry in that cemetery that we had to endure three more years of shit with Voldemort!" Ron shouted, his magic causing the glass in the window panes to shake.

"Hermione he tried to kill Harry! How could you even consent to this marriage?" Ginny shrieked, her magic going haywire causing the electricity to come and go – hence causing the lights to start flickering around the room.

"That arsehole is the reason Cedric died! Why Voldemort came back! Why all those people suffered! You can't go through with it! You can'-"

It eventually got too much for her – the yelling - so she pulled out her wand and did the only thing she could realistically do. She silenced the three of them.

"Sorry, all of your yelling and the echoing was giving me a headache. And I'd rather not have my windows shattered into a million peices."

The three of them glared back at her.

"Now, If I take the Silence charm off, you guys cannot yell."

They nodded, and she took it off.

"Hermione, you can't go through with this!" Ron hissed, to which Harry joined in.

"Yeah, what is Kingsley thinking? YOU are part of the reason Crouch was sent back to Azkaban, he's going to have it in for you if he hasn't already. It's not safe for you to go back there!"

"I'm surprised they even let him out of Azkaban, the man's as nutty as a fruitcake. He killed his own Dad for Merlin's sake! What's to say he's not going to knife his wife in the middle of the night too?" Ginny implored, shaking her head at the Ministers logic.

Hermione fell back onto the chair defeated. "I know – believe me, I think the same as all of you! I can't believe Kingsley would do this to me, it doesn't make any sense. But he said that he looked into Crouch's memories and cleared him of all charges. Although I can't think for the life of me why," she whimpered, letting her head fall into her hands.

She sat there for a minute, wallowing in her own self-pity, when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder and heard someone kneel down in front of her. She lifted her head slowly, and although they were blurry from un-shed tears, there was no mistaking the concern that filled Harry's sparkling emerald orbs.

"'Mione, just because Kingsley saw his memories doesn't mean he's innocent. People can fake that kind of stuff. Remember Slughorn?"

Hermione nodded. "But I have no choice," she whimpered, in a voice so defeated and broken it even tugged at Ron's heart. "I have to go, there's no other option. Not unless I want to be stripped of my wand!"

Ron shook his head, his hands balled up into fists. "They can't do that! Not to you! You've done more for this world than anyone – well except you Harry of course – but you get what I mean! This is simply ridiculous! Surely they can switch you with somebody."

She shook her head. "Kingsley said there was no way out of this. Either I marry him or- or I'm exiled…"

The four of them all processed what that would mean. Not having Hermione around. Not only would they lose a friend, but the Wizarding World would lose a real asset – one of their brightest stars would be put out, just like that. Ginny was the first to speak up, and came over to kneel beside Harry and hold one of Hermione's hands. "You're strong, I know you can get through this. And we'll be with you every step of the way," she vowed determinedly.

"Yeah, if that bastard so much as sneezes at you the wrong way – call us, and we'll be sure to kick his arse. Right Harry?" Ron chirped from beside her. She hadn't even noticed him come over.

"Definitely, we're here for you Hermione. No matter what you need."

She smiled a watery smile at her three friends, and pulled them all in for a hug. It seemed to be the only way to really thank them for the comfort and support they were giving her – otherwise she'd never be able to bring herself to leave her apartment. They all pulled away, and Hermione was surprised to see even Ron a bit teary eyed – although of course he tried passing it off as his eye simply being itchy.

"Do you have time for another cup of tea before you go?" Ginny asked weakly, dabbing at her eyes with the corner of her jumper.

"No, I'm supposed to be there at 5," Hermione sniffled.

Her three friends nodded and each took turns hugging her – save for Ron who shook her hand instead – and walked her over to the door where Hermione flicked her wand and within seconds, all of the boxes were shrunk and transported into her open suitcase.

"Stay safe," Ginny said, and reached over to give her one last hug before going back to stand beside Ron.

"Yeah, if you need me for anything just let me know – I'll be there in the blink of an eye," Harry added, giving her another kiss on the cheek.

"Same – just, you know, call me or something. I'll shove itching powder down the pricks robes while I kick the crap out of him," Ron said, trying to joke and make light of the situation – but his protective tone still came through.

Hermione found it odd how he still cared for her given everything they'd been through, but didn't make a big deal out of it and nodded at them all.

"I will," she promised, and took one last look around the empty space before picking up her suitcase and stepping over the threshold of the door. "I'll be seeing you all," she sniffed, and with that, she disapparated to the Grouch's house.


	4. Chapter 4

Barty was sitting himself down on the couch to wait for the nag – as he had taken to call her - to get there. He didn't want to have to wait after five for her to get there, because then an argument would start. And as much as he loved to be the one to start an argument, today wasn't his day. The night before, he had gone out and gotten drunk, and he may have even tried to mix some Firewhiskey with a muggle drink. He had taken a hangover potion, but now his headache was back.

It was about a quarter to five when he heard a pop, and then saw Hermione standing there with her suitcase and her purse. She was looking around, wondering where he was. Her face had an annoyed look, and he mirrored it on his own face.

"What was the point of wanting me here at five if you're not even going to be here?" she called out frustratedly.

"Maybe if you actually looked around you, you might actually see that I am here." He found it funny how she jumped when he made his presence known – he hadn't expected her to forget the fact that he had tried to kill her and her friends in the past, but after seeing how jumpy she was just at the sound of his voice, he frowned as he thought that they may never be able to move past it.

She gave him a look of utter loathing, hating the fact that he had to leave her own home to move in with this grouchy bastard. "About time, Crouch."

"Likewise Granger," he found it hypocritical how she called him by his surname – or should he say her soon-to-be surname? – yet she clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth when he called her by her surname too. "Now, are we going to show you to your room or what?"

"My room? We're not sleeping in the same room?" she asked confusedly – wasn't that one of the requirements of this whole marriage law thing?

Barty, who had turned around and started walking towards the stairs stopped in his track and turned to face her. "Tell me Granger, do you see any pigs flying around outside? Or perhaps Satan ice skating to work? Didn't think so," he said coldly.

Hermione shrugged. "Suits me," she admitted. "That way you can get out of my hair and let me explore and maybe sleep."

"First of all, this is my house. I have lived here my whole life, minus those few years, thank to you."

"Oh my God, seriously? I'm not in the mood to argue Crouch, just show me the goddamned room," she grumbled.

"Fine by me."

He walked out of the room, and could hear her following him as quickly as she could. She wanted to get away from him and explore, and find out all she could about this house, and his family. Maybe she could find a dirty secret that she could use against him in arguments.

As if he could hear her thoughts, he spoke up. "You can go anywhere in this house. Except my office."

"What's in your office?"

"It doesn't matter what's in my office. It's forbidden. Just stay away from it. You might also want to unpack now so I can do the charms on your bedroom to make the stuff bigger or smaller later."

"I can do them myself," she insisted.

"Maybe so, but you're not going to in this house. You might blow up something."

Grumbling that she might like to blow up his head if she could get away with it, Hermione remained quiet the rest of the way to her bedroom, so that she could unpack her bigger things right then, and get her desk, reading chair, and bed set up before he went to bed. She hoped it was a big room, so she could hold it off until morning. Anything to not see him for as long as possible.

Once they arrived at her room, Barty entered first and moved aside, so Hermione could see it.

"This was the room my parents lived in. I will be staying in my childhood bedroom right next door. Now, I am having dinner, and I expect you to be there."

"You expect me. Is this going to be a marriage where I have to listen to everything you say, because if it is, then I have one word for every one of your commands. And that is no."

"No?"

"I will not be some wife for you to order around as much as you want."

"I demand—"

"Oh, now you demand? Still no."

"How dare you defy me!" he fumed, his hands balling up into fists at his sides.

"I wasn't raised as a headstrong smart woman, just to give up a job to become a house wife to someone who expects me to cater to his every need," she countered.

"Why would I want you around for that? You're the most annoying nag I have ever met. I would celebrate when you go to work."

Hermione's eyes flashed at that. "Go away."

He left and she leaned against the wall. Of course he would celebrate the thought of her going to a job that made her miserable. She had to get a new job, so that she could celebrate when she left the house every morning, instead of feeling trapped in a job that she absolutely loathed. So with a meeting the next day in mind, she opened her suitcase and started to unpack and move the bed that was already there.

She moved the bed into the northeast corner, so it could be right next to the window that was arched, so it would fit the southeast corner. She then took out her dark green bedding and made her bed, so she could be ready to sleep whenever. She took out her reading chair and set it in the large corner next to her bed. It fit perfectly. However, she needed help from Barty, which meant she would have to talk to him before the night was over.

She trudged downstairs slowly, trying to think up what to say. It turned out that he was waiting for her, because he knew that she would need help from him sooner or later. He figured that she was a woman, and she had brought everything with her, so he decided to wait for her to come downstairs.

The adjusting didn't take too long. He just had to put an undetectable extension charm on the room, and it expanded to the west. It would look bigger on the inside, but have no impact on the rooms on either side of hers. After about five minutes, he left without a thank you, which was good, since Hermione didn't exactly feel like saying one.

Hermione sat down on her bed without packing anything else. Was this what her marriage was to be like? Having nothing to say when they were feeling nice, and then argue the rest of the time? Her wishing to go to work just to avoid either the bitter or awkward feelings? If that's how it would be, she wasn't sure she liked it that much. Right now, she was hoping for the best kind of miracle.

She sighed and laid her head on a pillow. She had to find a way out of this. Find someone else who was better suited for him, and someone better suited for her. She couldn't believe she wasn't paired with Percy. Yes, he was a pompous and arrogant douche sometimes, but they always got along. They were both intelligent, and they had both been Prefects and Heads. But he was going to marry some other woman and have children with her.

Hermione kept going down the pity road she had created for herself, and eventually she was sobbing, about more than just this, but how she hadn't just tried to work it out with Ron, and how she hated her job, and how now she would be in a hateful marriage.

With tearstained cheeks, she fell asleep in a fetal position. Barty came in a few minutes after she fell asleep and pulled her covers over her, so that she would be warmer. He didn't know why he was helping her when she hated him, but he hoped that if they could get along, she might like him enough to see that he was innocent. That was all he could hope for.

And right now, it looked like they would need a miracle for that to happen.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione woke up later, to the sound of dripping water outside, which meant rain. That made Hermione feel slightly better, as she loved the rain, but she was still angry and upset about everything. She got up, not remembering moving in, or unpacking a lot of her things until her foot stepped onto the hard floor. Then she remembered that she was in Crouch's house, and her feelings just got worse.

Looking around at the lumps on the floor, Hermione sighed, getting to work, moving her dresser to be on the wall right next to where her bed was. She then moved her desk and desk chair to be in the southwest corner of her bedroom. Her lamp was placed next to the desk. She then went through her belongings and put them in either her dresser, or her closet. She then put her books on her shelves, hoping to have some organization there.

When she finished, her stomach was growling, so she walked down the hallway, and down the stairs to the kitchen. Her plan was to try and grab something small to eat, get it down her throat before getting up and heading upstairs and back to bed, but the moment she entered the kitchen, there was a pop. Winky stood there, smiling.

"Hello, Miss Hermione."

"Oh, hi, Winky."

"Master Barty is knowing that Miss Hermione is wanting some food to eat. Master Barty is telling Winky to prepare some food for Miss Hermione when she is being ready."

"Oh, you didn't need to do that."

"Winky is happy to be helping Miss Hermione. What can Winky be getting, so Miss Hermione can eat?"

"Can I just get a turkey sandwich, and maybe some water?" Hermione knew it would be pointless to argue with Winky. It had been in fourth year, and since Crouch was now her master, and he was stubborn as hell, Winky would be even more difficult to argue with.

Winky clapped her hands and jumped, happy that Hermione had finally accepted help from her and someone of her kind. "Winky is starting right now."

With her elf magic, Winky had everything made in no time. It wasn't summoned out of nowhere, but Hermione could finally tell why people loved food made by a house elf. It was the best food she had ever tasted, and Hermione was actually prepared to think that it was better, if not at the same level, than Mrs. Weasley's.

"Oh my God, Winky, this is so good."

"Winky is glad that Miss Hermione is liking it."

Hermione ate her sandwich slowly, so as to allow herself to savor the taste of it. She also wanted to talk to Winky about Crouch. She was worried that something bad might happen, and since she trusted Winky, she might be able to trust her husband-to-be soon.

"Winky, can I ask you something about your Master?"

"Of course. Miss Hermione can ask Winky anything.

"He is a good master, yes?"

"Master Barty is being the best master to Winky. Master Barty is even being better than Professor Dumbledore." That shocked Hermione: that someone might be a better master than the beloved, yet rather insane, headmaster.

"Is he a good man in general? I mean to say, I won't get hurt living here, will I?" Hermione wanted to make sure that she would be safe, well, as safe as possible, while living at the Crouch residence.

"Winky will not be letting Master Barty hurt Miss Hermione."

Hermione smiled at the elf. She had been helpful. She didn't ask Winky if he was innocent, because Hermione knew that whatever the elf said, it couldn't be bad, so of course she would say that he was innocent, even if it wasn't true. Besides, no matter what Winky said, Hermione wouldn't believe it. But she was glad that she had an ally in this house, even if the ally was on the other side as well.

Winky took Hermione's dishes, and Hermione wished her a good night, before walking up the stairs to look around. She didn't want to wander too far, as she wanted to be able to find her way back to her bedroom, so she decided to only explore in her hallway, and around the rooms in that area. She saw Crouch's room there, and it was empty, which meant he was God knows where.

Next to his bedroom was his office, the room she knew that she couldn't enter, ever. She was about to continue walking, when she heard crying over something, and she listened in, seeing if she could understand why. But then she heard him moving and her eyes widened. She couldn't be caught eavesdropping, that would only make their situation more unbearable.

Hermione felt her way around, before she felt a corner, and staying close to the wall, she turned, hidden, just as his office door opened and he stepped out. He walked into his room, closed the door, and Hermione sighed.

But why was he crying? Was he also miserable with this arrangement? Or was there something more to him? She knew that he would never tell him, so she would have to investigate. It was time for her to find out what was being hidden by that beast of a man.


End file.
